Premier Range
Template:Geobox The Premier Range is a group of mountains within the Cariboo Mountains of east-central British Columbia, Canada. The range (also known as the Premier Group) is bounded by the Rausch River and the North Thompson River on the south and west and the Fraser River and its tributaries to the east and north.
In 1927, the year of Canada's Diamond Jubilee, it was decided that the names of the higher peaks in this range would be reserved to pay tribute to prime ministers of Canada, prime ministers of the United Kingdom, and premiers of the province of British Columbia. In practice, however, only one British prime minister and one British Columbia premier have been so honoured, and recent changes to Canadian geographic naming regulations make it unlikely that any British prime minister or other non-Canadian will receive such an honour in the future.
The named summits of the Premier Range are, in order of elevation:
| Mountain | Height (m) | Height (ft) | Naming |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Sir Wilfrid Laurier | 3516 | 11535 | Sir Wilfrid Laurier - 7th Prime Minister |
| Mount Sir John Abbott | 3398 | 11148 | Sir John Abbott - 3rd Prime Minister |
| Mount Sir John Thompson | 3349 | 10988 | Sir John Thompson - 4th Prime Minister |
| Mount Sir Mackenzie Bowell | 3301 | 10830 | Sir Mackenzie Bowell - 5th Prime Minister |
| Mount Stanley Baldwin | 3256 | 10682 | Stanley Baldwin - British Prime Minister |
| Mount Mackenzie King | 3234 | 10610 | Mackenzie King - 10th Prime Minister |
| Mount Arthur Meighen | 3205 | 10515 | Arthur Meighen - 9th Prime Minister |
| Mount Richard Bennett | 3190 | 10466 | Richard Bennett - 11th Prime Minister |
| Mount John Oliver | 3123 | 10246 | John Oliver - B.C. Premier |
| Mount Lester Pearson | 3086 | 10125 | Lester B. Pearson - 14th Prime Minister |
| Mount Louis Saint Laurent | 3045 | 9990 | Louis St. Laurent - 12th Prime Minister |
| Mount Pierre Elliott Trudeau | 2640 | 8661 | Pierre Trudeau - 15th Prime Minister |
| Mount Sir Allan MacNab | 2297 | 7535 | Sir Allan MacNab - Canadian industrialist |
Before the Premier Range was selected, many mountains outside this area were named after Canadian prime ministers. Mount Mackenzie, Mount Tupper, Mount Macdonald and Mount Laurier rise over the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks that travel through the Rogers Pass near Golden, British Columbia. Mount Robert in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia honours Sir Robert Borden. Other than Laurier (who was also honoured with the name of a mountain in Yukon), none of these prime ministers have received the honour of also having a mountain named for them in the Premier Range.
External References
- Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia on the Premier Range
- Place Names in the Canadian Rockies
- Government of British Columbia Information Services data sheet on Premier Range
- Mountains of Canada from Canadian Geographic
- "Premier Range". BC Geographical Names.